Astral Body Question

[Kruben]

Hi Robert,

First off I love your site I view it everyday. I also recently purchased your book "Energy Work", which I have found to be an invaluable supplement to my existing qigong practice. However, my question is about our Astral bodies. I do not have any first hand experience with AP, although I'm very curious about it. I've only had what I believe to be the pre-cursors to OBEs and one experience years ago that I believe was a legitimate OBE, but I can't be sure.

Anyways my question for you is in reference to the existence of our astral bodies and whether they pre-exist no matter what. I've been reading the book "In Search of the Miraculous" about the teachings of the Russian Gurdjieff, and his belief seems to be that an astral body is not there by default - It has to be created through fusion by means of intense personal struggle. Through this inner struggle we can acquire an astral body but we are not necessarily born with one.

I'm curious what your thoughts are on this belief and whether it has any validity from your experience?

Take care,

Kruben

[Robert Bruce]

G'day,

My personal experience is that I always had an astral body. I started projecting consciously around the age of 4.

I know many people who started young.

I think the presence of the astral body is natural, and part of a natural mechanism.

Animals, at least dogs and cats, have astral bodies. I have observed them projecting.

It is easy to lose yourself in the terminology. Many do this.

I think Gurdjieff was referring to another type of spiritual body. This could be called the 'soul' or 'the spiritual body' or the 'individual soul' as opposed to a group soul.

Robert